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But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;a Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. 13
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
17
How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.
18
Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. 20 For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.a 21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. 19
139:14 aFollowing Masoretic Text and Targum; Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read You are fearfully wonderful. 139:20 aSeptuagint and Vulgate read They take your cities in vain.
Charlotte Ritchie • Homecoming Artist, Soloist, Formerly with The Easters
Where can I go from Your spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. | Psalm 139:7–10
I
was a very shy little girl growing up. I prayed that God would make me invisible because I was so afraid for people to look at me or speak to me. How ironic that as an adult, God called me to a life of traveling, singing, and speaking in front of thousands of people. I am an example of God’s wonderful sense of humor. At first glance you might think that I have it all together and life is always good. I will say that God has given far more than I deserve and I am very blessed. But we all go through the ups and downs of life and experience both bright and very dark days. The year 2006 brought many changes to my life. Within a ten-week period, I attended four funerals, one of which was for my mom, who passed away from a sudden heart attack. In the time that followed I found myself in a very strange place. I had the responsibilities of being a wife, mom, and employee. Every day I got up and put on my “everything is fine” mask
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